Linen washing machine



March 31, 1970 R.- GR-OEBLI 3,503,085

LINEN WASHING MACHINE Filed June 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENToR Ram; cT oeaLl Mai-ch 31, 1970 4 R. GROEBLI 3,

LINEN WASHING MACHINE Filed June 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvmroa REN eaonsu Arrow/6x5 United States Patent US. Cl. 8-158 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A linen washing machine wherein the linen-carrying bag is enclosed in a vat inside which it is caused to rise intermittently towards a perforated cover under the action of the pressure of incoming water. The vat is provided with a medial section of a reduced cross-sectional area between its lower and upper sections. Thus, when the bag rises through said medial section, the linen carried by it is rolled so as to then spread out and turn round in the upper section of the vat without being pressed harshly against the perforated cover of the vat.

This invention relates to improvements in linen washing machines of the type using water under pressure as a driving power with a view to stirring the linen.

Washing machines of this type are already known. They include a rigid vat enclosing a bag of a yielding or elastic fiuidtight material. The bag is by watertight engagement secured at its upper open end to the upper edge of the vat. A second vat, which has a greater circumference than the first vat is secured in watertight engagement with the upper edge of the second vat. Each of said vats is provided with a water input pipe and with a drain or output pi-pe. A removable perforated cover is provided for the first vat to which it may be rigidly secured by any suitable means.

The arrangement comprising the two vats is housed inside a casing closed by a fluidtight or watertight cover and includes means for controlling the linen washing machine.

For the washing of the linen, the linen is carried in side the yielding fiuidtight bag and is subjected to an energetic stirring. This is caused by alternating water admitting and draining steps as provided through the intermittent application of fluid pressure in the first vat against the bag which intermittently presses said bag against the cover of the said bag through the line and the perforations of the cover into the second vat. The pressure Steps are each individually followed by a release of the pressure prevailing against the liquid in said bag and a return suction of water through said perforations and back into the bag.

The linen washing machines of this type have however certain drawbacks. It is for instance a diflicult matter to obtain a perfect washing of very dirty garments since they have a tendency to agglomerate and to form flat layers as a consequence of the repeated compression of the garments against the perforated cover of the first vat. As a result the particles of dirt remain enclosed within the folds of the fabric, without any possible removal during the rinsing stage.

Furthermore, the articles made of a delicate fabric risk being damaged through a repeated contact with said perforated cover.

The object of this invention is to eliminate these drawbacks. Accordingly in linen washing machines made in accordance to the present invention the height of the first vat is substantially larger than its diameter and includes a restricted passage between the lower section of the vat inside which the yielding bag is positioned when Patented Mar. 31, 1970 inoperative and its upper section carrying the perforated cover. Therefore the linen is subjected to a rolling action as it passes through this restricted passage as the yielding bag rises under the action of the fluid pressure applied to said bag in the lower section of said vat. The linen expands inside the upper section of the vat after passing through the restricted passage where it spreads out and turns round.

This invention relates to the following features:

The restricted passage in the first vat is formed ofa yielding fiuidtight annular pouch of rubber or the like material, fluidtightly secured along the wall of the vat, wherein the pouch is inflated to the desired extent by fluid under pressure, so as to obtain a cross-section of a predetermined breadth for said restricted passage.

The restricted passage is formed of a portion of a tire-shaped metal sheet inserted between the lower and upper sections of the vat.

In order to reduce the total height of the vat, the bottom of the yielding bag is shifted upwardly by providing at the center and bottom of said vat a support defining between it and the outer wall of said vat an annular gap inside which the peripheral portion of the yielding bag sinks.

A hydraulic jack is provided which acts on the yielding bag so as to control its rising.

The hydraulic jack is formed bellows folded in accordion shape when inoperative while a guiding rod is provided between the bottom of the vat and the perforated cover, so as to form a joint sliding in a corresponding opening in the yielding bag.

Water is sent into the jack and/ or into the vat by means of a distributing slide valve including an input of water under pressure. While a first output leads to the jack, a second output leads to the vat and a third output leads to a draining pump. A fiuidtight piston extending into the body of said slide valve and subjected to the action of a spring is adapted according to its position to provide for connection between the first and/ or the second output and either the input of water under pressure or the output leading towards the draining pump. A shunt pipe is provided for feeding water under pressure to the draining pump through a valve or throttled passage so as to allow said piston to return to its inoperative position.

By way of example and with a view to furthering the understanding of the following description, the accompanying drawings include:

In FIG. 1 a diagrammatic elevational sectional view of a machine for washing linen in accordance with a first embodiment.

In FIG. 2 a diagrammatic elevational sectional view of a linen washing machine according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Turning to FIG. 1 the linen washing machine is formed of an annular casing 1 provided with an upper cover 6 secured for instance by a hinge 11 to said casing. A first vat 2 is provided inside said casing 1 comprising a lower section 2b carrying the yielding fiuidtight bag 3, the upper edge of said bag 3 being secured to said vat 2 and wherein said vat 2 has, an intermediate section 15 of restricted cross-sectlonal area and an upper section 20. In the embodiment illustrated, said section 15 of a reduced cross-sectional area is shaped like a tire-shaped rubber tube adapted to be inflated to a varying extent by suitable means, for example, by water under pressure. The object is to produce a cross-sectional passage of a predetermined size between the lower and upper sections of the vat. Obviously, it is possible for said reduced section 15 to be made of a predetermined size and removable metal sheet forming integrally part of the vat 2 with suitable mechanical means to vary the size of the passage.

The lower section 211 of the vat is furthermore provided with a raised bottom 2a which prevents the rubber bag 3 from sinking completely down to the bottom of the vat when the water has been exhausted, said bag resting in contradistinction on its bottom on said raised bottom 2a. The vat 2 is furthermore provided with a three-way cock 8 connected with the water supply on the one hand and with the exhaust pipe on the other hand through the pipe 14 and a second three-Way cock 9. The cock 8 is electrically controlled by a double-acting pressure regulator to connect the vat 2 with the pipe feeding water from the water supply Whenever the pressure drops down to a predetermined pressure, for example, zero and with the exhaust pipe when the pressure in said vat reaches a predetermined value.

A removable perforated cover may be rigidly secured to the upper edge of said vat 2. A second or expansion vat 4 is secured inside the upper section of the casing 1. The vat 2 is fitted inside the bottom of the vat 4 and its upper end is fiuidtightly secured to said vat bottom. Said vat 4 is provided with a pipe 16 connected through the three-way cock 9 with the exhaust or with the water supply. Electric heating means or gas-heated means are provided underneath the vat 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 there is shown a further improvement over the embodiment of FIG. 1 wherein the rising and sinking movements of the bag 3 required for washing are further controlled by bellows 17 which are shown as in their inoperative accordionshaped collapsed condition. In order to prevent any flexing of said bellows when in their entirely expanded condition, a guiding rod 18 is provided which is secured to the bottom of the lower vat section 2b and is guided at its upper end by the perforated cover 5. The rubber bag 3 is provided with a central perforation 19 associated with a fluidtight packing. Obviously the jack may be given any other suitable shape such as that of a hydraulic telescopic jack.

The advantage of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 resides in the fact that the consumption of washing water require-d for the raising of the bag 3 is considerably reduced. In accordance with an experiment made, each rising of the bag 3 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 obtained by filling the lower vat section 215 required a consumption of 60 litres of water. In addition to the cost using this amount of water as a driving power, it should also be remembered that the filling may last as long as one minute in the case of the input of Water of 60 litres per minute. In contradistinction, in thecase of a jack constituted by bellows 17 as illustrated in FIG. 2, each rising of the bag responds to a consumption of 4 litres or thereabouts, with a jack having a diameter equal to 10 cm. and a height equal to 50 cm., so that said raising may be performed within 4 seconds. Similarly, the downward movement which depends on the input of the draining pump 20 is much speedier. It should be understood that during operation, the linen in the bag 3 is caused to rise by filling the vat together with the jack 17, so as to increase the upward movement of bag 3. To this end, a distributing slide valve 21 is provided which includes an input of water under pressure through pipe 21a controlled by the three-way electrically controlled valve or cock 8, a first output 21b communicating with the jack 17, a'second output 210 communicating with the vat 2 and a third output 21d communicating with the draining pump 20. A fluidtight piston 23 acting in cooperation with a spirng 24 is provided to act in response as required to the pressure applied.

In order to make the pressure on the upstream end of the piston 23 drop after closing of the electrically controlled cock 8, a shunt pipe 25 is controlled by the auxiliary electrically controlled valve 26. For the filling of the upper vat 4, the electrically controlled valve- 8 delivers water under pressure through the pipe 14 while theother electrically controlled cock 9 is connected with the upper 4 vat 4 through the pipe 16, the draining being operated through the pipe 27-25 and draining pump 20. This arrangement allows a complete cycle of washing with cold or hot water, rinsing and draining through mere actuation of the cocks. The program may be automatically or semi-automatically controlled.

The operation of said washing machine is as followsi Assuming in a non-limiting sense that the control is entirely automatic, the linen is inserted inside the bag 3 and the perforated cover 5 is locked in its closed position. The washing cycle then begins with the filling of the vat 4 and of the bag 3 With water fed by the supply of water though the three-way cock 9 connected with the pipe 14 and the second three-way cock 8. Said cocks or valves 8 and 9 are controlled electrically and automatically. as soon as the washing machine is started. When the water has reached the level illustrated at 12, a pressure regulator or level-controlled switch closes the cock 9 and opens the connection 8b (FIG. 1) between the cock 8 and vat 2. Thus the bottom of bag 3 in FIG. 1 is raised by being subjected to pressure through water released through cock 8 inthe case of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the lifting action released by opening cock 8 to raise bag 3 is further modified through the use of a first stage lift by pressure released by the distance slide valve 21, and second stage lift by pressure released by connection 210. When the vat 4 and bag 3 (FIG. 2) are full of water, the bellows 17 is filled with water through the valve connection provided including the slide valve 21 and the connection valve 21b so that under the pressure of the Water inserted into the bellows, the bellows lifts the bag 3 upwardly sliding along the guiding rod 18 through the central water sealed perforation 19. As piston 23 moves upstream, it moves to open the introduction of water into the vat 2 through connection 210 further lifting bag 3. As the bag 3 rises some of the Water contained within the bag is forced through the perforation cover 5 into the vat 2. When the level in the vat 4 reaches the level illustrated at 13 the pressure regulator 7 adjusted for a pressure corresponding to the level 13 controls the connection between the cock 8 and the exhaust 16 pipe through the pipe 14, the cock 9, pipes 25-27, and the draining pump 20 in the case of FIG. 2, so as to cause the bag 3 to sink inside the vat 2 and the water contained in the vat 4 to be sucked back into bag 3 and into the upper portion of the vat 2. Said rising andsinking movements of the bag are repeated several times, which leads to an energetic stirring of the linen inside the bag. The linen is driven upwardly at a high speed through the vat section 15 of a reduced cross-sectional area and expands inside the upper section 20 of the vat, wherein it spreads out and turns round. But during said washing stage the line is never urged under pressure against the perforated cover 5.

The introduction of a lye is automatically performed as is also the starting of the heating means 10. Obviously, the alternating filling and draining of the section 2c of vat 2 may be controlled as Well by a Water level responsive controlled switch carried by the vat 4. For the rinsing of the linen following the Washing, the vat 4 is drained through the cock 9 and the draining pump 20 is operated in the case of FIG. 2. The vat is then filled with clean water while the linen continues being stirred by a filling opened so as to connect the vat 4 and section 2c of vat 2 with the exhaust 16, while the cock 8 is opened to allow the input of water from thesupply of water, water being I allowed to enter the space between the bottom of the vat 2 and the bag 3 under maximum pressure, the operation of the pressure regulator being cut out. This leads to subjecting the linen to a considerable pressure urgingit against the perforated cover 5, the water carried by the linen being thus driven through said cover towards the exhaust.

Obviously my invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described and in particular it is possible and of interest in certain cases to secure the upper edge of the bag 3 either to the section of the vat of a reduced cross-sectional area or above the latter to the upper section of the vat 2c.

What I claim is:

1. A linen washing machine including a first vat open at its upper end, said first vat including a lower section, an upper section and a medial section lying between said lower and said upper sections, means for reducing the cross-sectional area of said medial section to make it smaller than the cross-sectional area of said lower and upper sections, an elastic linen carrying bag mounted in said lower section of said first vat, a perforated cover for the upper section of said first vat, a second vat enclosing the upper end of said first vat and connecting with said first vat through the perforations of said cover, means to feed water into said second vat and into said linen carrying bag, means to feed water under pressure into the lower end of said first vat to urge said bag upwardly from said lower section to said upper section of said first vat, said bag passing through said medial section so that the linen in said bag is rolled before said bag enters into said upper section and means for draining the water from both said first and said second vats.

2. A linen washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diameter of said first vat is less than the height of said first vat and said Water feeding means for said first vat includes pipes opening into the lower end of said first vat below the bottom of said bag.

3. A linen washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said area reducing means includes an inflatable elastic tube and means for mounting said inflatable tube in said medial section about the periphery of the inner wall of said first vat medial section.

4. A linen washing machine as claimed in claim 1, including a raised support central of the bottom wall of said first vat to support the central portion of the bottom of said bag to prevent said bag from sinking to the bottom of said first vat when the water has been drained from said first vat.

5. A linen washing machine as claimed in claim 1, including a vertically collapsible bellows, means for mounting said bellows in the lowermost portion of said first vat, said mounting means including a guide rod secured at one end to the bottom of said first vat and secured at its other end to said perforated cover and a fluid tight packing having a central perforation, said central perforation fitted about said guide rod and means for feeding water into said bellows to inflate said bellows and to raise said bag in a vertical direction.

6. A linen washing machine as claimed in claim 1,

including a collapsible vertically movable expanding inflated support means for said bag, means for mounting said support means between the bottom of said first vat and the bottom of said bag and means for inflating said support means to lift said bag in a vertical direction.

7. A linen washing machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein said support means comprises a bellows having a diameter of 10 cm. and a height upon expansion of 50 cm., said bellows moving from a collapsible to a fully inflated position in 4 seconds upon actuation of said bellows by introducing 4 liters of water under pressure into said bellows from said inflating means.

8. A linen washing machine as claimed in claim 6, including a water distributing slide valve, means for introducing water under pressure into said slide valve, a first output leading from said slide valve to the lower section of said main vat, a second output leading from said slide valve to said bellows, a third output from said slide valve to said vat draining means, said slide valve including a fluid tight piston connecting said slide valve selectively with said first, said second and said third output means, a spring urging said piston in a direction opposite to the input of water into said slide valve and a connection between said fluid introducing means and said third output.

9. A linen washing machine as claimed in claim 8, including electric heating means mounted about the lower extremity of said second vat.

10. In a method of washing linen wherein the linen is passed from a lower vat to an upper vat, the steps of reducing the cross-sectional area in the passage between said first and said second vats, applying pressure to the linen in the lower vat to force the linen upwardly from the lower vat through the restricted passage into the upper vat, reducing the pressure so as to allow the linen to freely fall from the upper vat downwardly through the restricted opening into the lower vat and repeating the cycles of upward and downward movement so as to cause the linen to be repeatedly agitated during repeated movement through the restricted passage between the lower vat and the upper vat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,050,484 8/1936 Burry 6821 X 2,099,365 11/1937 Kemper 6821 2,455,043 11/ 1948 Calhoun 6821 2,651,190 9/1953 Horvath 6896 X 2,752,770 7/1956 Slate et al. 6821 3,178,913 4/1965 Olson 6896 X WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

